Welcome and Background Information
Franklin County engagement focused on addressing racial disparities among the municipal court’s special dockets in a group discussion format. The engagement session was hosted at a local church familiar to faith and community leaders. The Franklin County team provided a complimentary boxed lunch to all participants.
The team first provided an overview to participants about:
- The Franklin County public engagement project and the involvement and role of the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity
- The court’s initiatives examining underrepresentation of minorities in its specialized dockets
- The adoption of evidence-based practices in pre-trial and probation services
Overview of Specialized Dockets and Self Help Resource Center
After the background information, judges and court staff provided presentations and distributed educational materials about the Self Help Resource Center and the municipal court’s specialized dockets. Note that the Self Help Resource Center serves civil legal issues while Specialized Dockets serve criminal issues. The Self Help Resource Center was asked to partner on the public engagement pilot efforts due to their close working relationship with Specialized Dockets and the hope to expand these findings to better serve people with civil issues at the Center.
Materials shared with engagement participants included:*
- Changing Actions to Change Habits (CATCH) for victims of prostitution and human trafficking
- Helping Achieve Recovery Together (HART)
- Learning to Identify and Navigate Change (LINC)
- Military and Veterans Services (MAVS)
- Recovery Court
*Note that updated versions of these materials can be found on the Franklin County Specialized Dockets website.
Group Discussion and Questions
After the presentation on specialized dockets, a consultant from the Kirwan Institute facilitated an open floor discussion about community experiences with the courts and specialized dockets. Faith and community leaders asked questions and shared community experiences directly with the judges and other court personnel in the discussion.